Interesting (AfterDeath)

Chapter 33

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Geno P.O.V

"Error?" I breathed, my eyes wide.

My younger brother laughed softly, smiling sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.

"Heya Geno," he greeted, his voice going over a hundred notes, just as it always had.

''Heya Geno?' We haven't seen each other for six years and 'Heya Geno' is all that he has to say?'

"Is that it?" I said dully, laughing softly as Reaper set me on the ground gently.  It took me a while to find my feet, but once I did, I walked over to Error immediately, gazing down at him for a number of seconds.

He was a couple of inches shorter than I was.  His hair was raven black, worn so that it hung over his deep blue eyes, and he had dark skin - a trait that wasn't shared by any other family members - with intricate, dark blue, tear-track-shaped tattoos patterning his cheeks.

He hadn't changed much physically over the years, save for the bags that were showing beneath his eyes. 

Tiredness mixed with despair seemed to hang about him.  He seemed exhausted, defeated, as if all of his hopes and dreams had been crushed, as if he had nothing left to live for.

"Is it okay to hug you..?" I breathed, not wanting to give him a panic attic, but wanting a hug from my brother after not having seen him for so long.  Selfish, I know.

Error froze up for nearly a minute at the mere suggestion of physical contact, then relaxed slightly, almost as if he was forcing himself to calm down, taking a deep breath and giving a slight nod, wincing as he did so.

I hesitated, then pulled him into a loose hug, giving him the control to pull away if he needed to.  Error twitched slightly, but hesitantly wrapped his arms back around me, his grip secure and surprisingly tight, his breathing halting, before he started breathing in and out slowly, holding onto me tightly.

"Holy shit, Error, you seem as if you're doing so much better!" I exclaimed softly, my eyes wide and no doubt sparkling with excitement.

Error laughed quietly, holding me close for a few moments longer, then pulling away, shivering slightly, though he looked pleased with himself for a change.

"It's better some days than others...." he said quietly, smiling slightly. I nodded slightly, unable to keep from grinning.

'It's still progress.  A lot of progress,' I thought happily, knowing that the last time that I had seen him, he had a massive panic attack when a random person accidentally brushed against his arm, only calming down when Ink had drawn him into a hug. 

Huh.  Irony.  A panic attack caused by fear of physical contact cured by physical contact.

Nice.

There was a long, awkward silence, neither of us knowing what more to say about the topic, then Error spoke again.

"I found your boyfriend over by his old hideout and decided to catch up.  I didn't mean to keep him for so long, I'm really sorry, if you were worried..." Error said softly, his voice apologetic and guilt ridden, as if he was blaming himself.  I opened my mouth to speak, but Reaper beat me to it.

"Oh, no, it wasn't your fault, it was mine, I should have told you that Geno was waiting for me sooner," Reaper said quickly, startling me, before walking up to my side, wrapping one of his arms around my waist, pulling me into his side gently.  I leant into him immediately, sighing softly, instantly relaxing into his familiar touch. Error was fidgeting at seeing the open affection, averting his eyes slightly as another heavy, awkward silence stretched out between us.

"Anyhow, I should get back to my kid," Error said eventually in his soft, quiet manner, smiling awkwardly, fiddling with his sleeves.  I nodded in agreement, then did a double take, shock hitting me full on in the chest.

"Your kid?!" I choked out, my eyes wide with disbelief.  "What?!  Since when?!  I'm an uncle?!?  What?!?"

Error only gave a small, sad smile, looking to the ground.

"Y-Yeah," he said quietly, tearing up as he looked away, his voice broken and full of pain; tortured.  "I-Inky and I... w-we adopted him... before he....  before he l-left, and I was given c-custody b-because I-Ink c-couldn't take c-care of a child a-and work...  I guess I c-can't really work n-now ei-either, but at l-least h-he's happy..."

Tears traced down his cheeks as he shook his head, ceasing his flow of words, forcing a smile, his tired eyes appearing even more tired, the sadness and despair that hung around him in clouds becoming even more apparent, his hands clenched into weak fists, though his expression showed hints of joy at talking about this child of his, as if the kid was the only thing keeping him alive, keeping him breathing.

"He's named Gradient.  He turned fourteen last year, and I-I don't know what I'd do without him.  Heh... he's...  he's my entire life, I don't th-think I'd be able to keep going on w-without him... I-I would b-be l-long dead I-if I d-didn't h-have h-him, I-" Error cut off his flow of words with a choked sob, shaking his head, more tears falling down his face. 

"I'll see you around, k-kay?" he said softly, then turning and running off, wiping at his face with his sleeves furiously as he fled, leaving me and Reaper standing there, shock-stilled and disbelieving.

Slowly, anger started to set in, anger....no, fury.  Fury at the person who had hurt my brother in this way, boiling and bubbling beneath my skin, my face flaring with a furious red.

I could only think one thing as my hands curled into fists, a soft, deadly laugh slipping through my lips.

'Ink, if I ever see you again, you'd better run, because you're fucking dead.'

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Poor Erry ;-;